The Lyoko Files
by SheSaysCiao
Summary: This is intended to be a series of drabbles, set both during the series and after the season four finale. Various characters, pairings, and themes will be explored. T for content.
1. William, Lyoko, Drinking

"I want to go _back_!"

"No!"

William was very drunk, whining to a very annoyed Jeremie, the blonde trying to remind him to keep his voice down. It was getting late, and they were in the dorms, and alcohol was prohibited, and…

"You're way past sober," he pointed out, crossing his arms.

"I can fight!" the older boy protested. "Let me slash those monsters in half! I deserve to!"

"He has a point," Aelita chimed in. She'd been sitting cross-legged on Jeremie's bed, her nose buried in a science fiction book.

The blonde sighed. "Fine. We'll go." He paused. "But we're getting the whole group together."

* * *

The trip to the factory was just that: A trip. Wrangling a real, drunk William was about a thousand times worse than wrangling his clone, the group found out. But once he'd been virtualized on to Lyoko, the other warriors gathered around Jeremie in the lab, watching as their newest member stumbled through the desert sector. XANA had reappeared the previous week, and it was back to fighting monsters and sneaking out and lying to everyone they knew.

"I feel _great_!" William shouted. He still bore the outfit XANA had given him when he was possessed, only now the symbol on his chest was gone. He called up his Zweihänder sword and slashed it around.

A Megatank opened fire. The beam hit him immediately, wiping out all of his lifepoints. He threw up as soon as he exited the scanner in the factory.


	2. Aelita, Nighttime

Nights were the most difficult. Aelita's mind wandered to the darkest places when the world was also at its most vulnerable.

Her mother was a frequent guest star in her nightmares, reliving the day she was ripped from her and her father's lives by the Men in Black, never to be heard from again.

Then there were all the traumas she'd endured ever since: That period in her life where, if the supercomputer died, so would she. Falling victim to attacks by XANA, masquerading itself as a clone of Jeremie or William or any of her friends; even just seeing the symbol flash in someone's eyes, knowing they were possessed — it was a symbol that would be ingrained in her mind forever.

Hell, her first kiss, her first _real kiss_ , was stolen by a polymorphic clone! XANA had kissed her, posing as Jeremie, and robbed her of that special moment in her life. She could never get that back.

It was a miracle she'd ever been able to get a full night's rest, what with waking up due to night terrors or panic attacks, seeing wolves… And then Sissi would barge in half the time, yelling at her to shut up, so she'd learned to keep the door to her room _locked_.

The night was dangerous. People were hurt at night, crimes were committed under the cover of darkness, everything seemed more… sinister.

And yet, it was also a time of peace, she guessed. Usually, people would be asleep, or at the very least more relaxed than how they'd felt during their daily routines. But not her.

During the day, she was around _people_ , she was distracted, she didn't have all this time to herself, she didn't have to constantly will her mind to shut off and let her rest.

Aelita hated nighttime. She'd always associated the dark with monsters when she was little. And then she learned that those monsters were _real_ , but they came for her at any time, regardless of the outside darkness.

Maybe she should get some help, but she didn't see how feasible that would be, considering if she divulged everything that had caused her to have PTSD and panic attacks, she'd be labeled as clinically insane. And she was anything _but_.

So, she stayed quiet, but tense, hugging her elf doll, Mister Pück, to her chest. She really hated the night.


	3. The Group, Normalcy

Friday nights were usually reserved for pizza and video games, movies and popcorn, sleepovers and the general feeling of being stress-free.

So why was it that the six Lyoko Warriors sat around Yumi's living room in silence, the table laden with untouched food and unopened boxes of board and video games? Aelita had thought to invite William because, as she put it: "He's just as much a warrior as the rest of us, and the whole XANA thing wasn't his fault," a fact Yumi surprisingly agreed with.

Odd let out a low whistle, eyeing a bowl of popcorn, undoubtedly getting cold from when it had come out of its microwaved bag. But for once, he wasn't hungry; he was indifferent.

"We forgot how to be normal," Yumi commented, breaking the silence. Her parents and Hiroki had gone out for the night, the adults taking in dinner and a show while her younger brother went to Kadic to cause mischief with Johnny in the dorms. She picked up the box to Mario Kart for the Wii, flipping it over in an attempt to pretend to read the back, and discarded it among the table's contents.

"I'm not surprised," Ulrich said, voice hollow. Even he couldn't come up with a coy or snarky reply.

William hadn't said a word, instead spending the night with his head hung, staring at his feet. He sighed.

Aelita perked up. "Just because we've been fighting XANA for so long, doesn't mean we can't enjoy our freedom. It'll take time, but… I think we can make it work." She stood from her spot next to Jeremie, leaning over and picking up the box to Mario Kart Wii. "Let's play."

Odd sprang from his seat, immediately grabbing the bowl of popcorn. "I get to be Yoshi!" He stuffed some food in his mouth.

"You're _always_ Yoshi!" the girl protested.

"And _you're_ always Princess Peach!"

"I'll keep score," Jeremie said.

"No way." Ulrich smiled. "I want to see you beat the crap out of Odd on Rainbow Road again."

Odd spun around. "He knocked me off the side! He cheated!"

"It's simple geometry!" Jeremie shouted. He took a controller. "Come on, let's try it again. I dare you."

"You're on!"

Aelita smiled. She turned to Yumi. "So," she started, peeling the wrapper to a chocolate bar, "think we remembered how to be normal?"

The older girl nodded, suddenly feeling more relaxed. They didn't have to worry about fighting monsters or saving the universe from certain doom; they didn't have to keep lying to their parents and teachers and everyone else they knew, keeping the big secret so the world would be safe.

They could be kids again, even if their experiences aged them beyond their years. At least, on Friday nights, they could be a regular group without having a hidden agenda.

"Okay," Yumi said finally. "Let's watch Jeremie destroy Odd on Rainbow Road again."


	4. Odd, Aelita, Disneyland Paris

It was a cold day at the beginning of the term when Odd approached Aelita with a pink envelope.

"Here," he said. He could barely contain himself, smiling from ear to ear. "My parents got this for you. Go ahead, open it!"

Aelita arched an eyebrow. Her birthday was coming up — it was actually _on_ October 9th, who would've guessed? — so she assumed this was an early present. Maybe a pair of movie tickets or something, so she and Jeremie could go on a real date sometime (he was still attached to his computer, even though XANA had been defeated).

She tore into the envelope anyway, producing a birthday card with a cat on it. However, what she found inside was not a pair of movie tickets.

"An Infinity Pass to Disneyland Paris?" Her voice rose an octave in surprise. She looked to the boy. "What's Disneyland Paris?"

Odd practically fell to the floor as he stood in her room. "It's a theme park!" he blurted. "You know, Mickey Mouse? Cinderella? A giant castle?!"

She smiled. "Is it fun?"

" _Fun?!"_

* * *

And so they took the metro, which in retrospect it would've been easier to call an Uber or something (technology was great that way), but the duo scanned their annual passes at the park entrance as Odd's parents had also given him one when he started at Kadic, renewing it every year.

Aelita's jaw dropped when she saw the giant castle with the bright blue and gold spires and pink and white striped towers. It was early morning and their passes granted them early access to the park, so they were among a fairly small crowd on Main Street.

Odd had disappeared into one of the shops, emerging a moment later with a bag. He held it out to her. "Here!"

She took it, peering inside, and pulled out a headband with a pair of mouse ears and a bow on it.

"Minnie ears," he explained, seeing her confusion. He smiled. "They're princess themed."

They were gold, and glittery, and one ear had a castle on it while the other had a crown. The bow was a shiny silver. She took the tag off, affixing the headband to her head, and beamed at her reflection in a store window.

"Come on!" Odd called, already a few meters ahead of her. "We have rides to ride and characters to meet! And food to stuff our faces with!"


	5. Sissi, Jealousy

This drabble was a suggestion from user Raxius.

* * *

She didn't want to admit it but, Sissi Delmas, the principal's daughter, the self-proclaimed queen bee of the school… was jealous.

Sure, it in part did have to do with Ulrich and his obvious feelings for Yumi — she still to this day wished he'd show that same admiration toward her. But, it was more of the group's _friendship_. They just seemed to come together out of nowhere, the five of them — well, six, if you counted William — and she _didn't understand_. It was like, first there had been Jeremie, Odd, and Ulrich, all separate from one another. Odd and Ulrich were roommates, and she'd seen Jeremie and Ulrich study together on occasion, but they weren't _friends_.

And then Yumi came into the picture, thanks to Jim and his Pencak Silat classes that no one ever really showed up to. And then the four of them banded together somehow, over some invisible bond they seemed to have, always running off campus in the middle of the night and sneaking around the dorms and being gone for hours on end.

Then, Aelita had showed up, mysteriously out of nowhere. Supposedly she was Odd's cousin from Canada or something, but Sissi still thought she was weird, screaming about wolves in the middle of the night and acting frail and helpless just to get the boys' attention. It was obvious she and Jeremie had a thing for one another; and yet, nothing had become of that.

Finally, William. His feelings for Yumi and mutual dislike for Ulrich were clear as day; hell, she'd even had a conversation with him once where they both bashed each other's love interests. But he was sucked into their group, going along with whatever games they played, and it seemed to change him in some way that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He was dumber. Dazed. Like he wasn't really… _here_.

Maybe they all snuck off campus to smoke weed. She wouldn't have put it past Odd, at least.

But still, Sissi was jealous. Jealous of their group. Jealous of their friendship. Jealous of stupid Yumi, and Ulrich, and their constant will they/won't they. The only people she could probably call friends were Hervé and Nicholas, and they were more her cronies, or "fan club," than actual friends. No one really understood her. She used her bitterness to enforce a sort of entitlement she felt for being the principal's daughter — because, she _was_ entitled — and yet, it just drove people away.

So, that was it. She was jealous of a group of six people, all with some big secret they seemed to be hiding, and she so desperately wanted in. But she could never admit it. They'd laugh in her face, just like always.


	6. Sissi, Odd, Shopping

Sissi loved shopping. But she hated Odd.

But she actually really _liked_ Odd. They'd been seeing each other in secret, having made a mutual agreement to still act like they hated each other in front of their peers.

It wasn't all that hard, actually. Even though he was good in bed, she still thought he was insufferable.

She held out a long, dark pink dress, scrutinizing it.

"It looks nice," Odd commented, chipper. He had a stack of purple and black shirts in his arms.

She scoffed. "More purple?"

"More _pink_?"

He had a point.

"I hate you," she grumbled.

He stepped around her, taking that same dress in an emerald green off the rack. "You'd look hotter in this."

She snatched the garment from him. "I'll try it on."

He perched himself at the edge of a chair outside the fitting rooms. "We still on for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Yeah," she called back, slipping into the dress. "Unless you and your friends magically have plans again."

He was glad she couldn't see the look that flickered across his face. The "plans" he'd been ditching her for as of late were XANA attacks. They were _this close_ to being done with the whole thing, and freeing William, but they still had a long way to go. Jeremie's program wasn't completed yet, and along with the activated towers, they still had Replikas to destroy.

"I told them I was busy," he responded. "If something comes up, they can deal with it themselves."

He didn't know exactly how the relationship with Sissi had started. They had just made out once, and realized it had been a good experience, so they continued to see each other in private. They wouldn't exactly call it "dating," as it wasn't totally official; but they were much more than just friends with benefits.

"Do you ever get the impression that this whole thing is… weird?" she asked, examining herself in the dressing room mirror.

"No," he answered. "I mean, at first, yeah… But I think you're repulsive too, so it works."

She laughed.

"Hey, come on out. I want to see the dress."

"Alright, but save the snide remarks for yourself."

She stepped out of the fitting room and into the hall, spinning around in front of a trio of floor-length mirrors.

Odd smirked. "See? Green is definitely hotter."

Sissi rolled her eyes. "You're such a dork." He stood on his toes to kiss her cheek. "But you're _my_ dork, I guess. And that's what counts."


	7. Odd, Aelita, Movies

"Hey, Princess."

Aelita jumped, looking up from the book she'd been reading. Odd appeared in the doorway to her room. It was getting late.

"It's movie night," he clarified. "Remember?"

She didn't, but she thought it best to humor him. "Right!" She closed the book. "What do you have planned for this week?"

He smiled, gesturing to the laptop and DVDs under his arm. "Your choice. Since we're going through my personal favorite films that premiered while you were…" _stuck in the supercomputer_ , he finished, pausing. "Well, I have _Toy Story_ , _Monsters, Inc._ , and _A Bug's Life_."

She ignored his attempt to make light of the situation. " _Toy Story_ ," she replied, seeing the cases. "It looks fun."

The boy nodded, plugging in his laptop and inserting the disk.

"You can say it, you know," she continued. "I was trapped. I missed out on ten years' worth of pop culture."

The Pixar logo appeared on-screen. Aelita and Odd had settled next to each other, a throw blanket draped over the two of them.

She always enjoyed their time together. Jeremie was usually too busy with programming to have a regular movie night, and with Ulrich and Yumi still in the honeymoon stage of their relationship, they weren't seeing much of anyone these days.

* * *

About an hour later, the girl could be heard screaming, "You said I wasn't going to cry this time!"

"I let you pick the movie!" he countered.


	8. Aelita, Lise, Family

**For those who are unaware, Lise is one of the other contestants for The Subdigitals' opening act when Aelita goes to her audition in Crash Course.**

* * *

Aelita liked Lise.

 _A lot._

She even seemed like a better person, compared to Jeremie. She was supportive in her interests and listened to her complaints. They comforted each other when something bad happened, and when Aelita had nightmares, Lise was right there with a cup of tea and a shoulder to cry on.

She just _listened._ It was strange, as the arguments she'd had with Jeremie were usually undone when they'd return to the past and he'd get a second chance to do it over, make things right. But after that night, when she was _finally_ playing the opening act to The Subdigitals… Lise showed up. Jeremie didn't.

It was different, liking a girl. Not in a bad way, though. But everyone seemed accepting of it, save for Jeremie, who still gave her hurt glances even a few months into her relationship with Lise. But Aelita ignored it; XANA was gone, William was free, and everything was getting back to normal.

It was a Saturday night. She and Lise had stayed in their apartment, listening to the rain fall outside with the television on low as background noise. Some movie was on, but they weren't paying attention.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The girl with the green hair stood to answer it. "That's my cousin." She turned to her girlfriend. "You're going to love him. I haven't seen him in a while — he's been away. But I assure you, I think you'll get along great."

She nodded, turning back to the dinner she'd been making. One of Odd's sisters had taught her a great recipe for chicken parmesan.

" _Aelita?"_

She practically dropped the spoon she'd been using. Stiffening, she almost wasn't going to turn around. But then two minutes of silence passed.

She thought she'd never hear that voice again.

"W-William?" she sputtered. "You're… _Lise's_ _cousin_?!"

"You're Lise's _girlfriend_?!"

Lise leaned against the kitchen table. "You two know each other?"

"We went to school together," Aelita explained. "We… we kind of hung out."

"Oh."

"Not like _that_ ," William said, waving away the thought. "We were in the same group of friends…" He stole a glance at the girl with the pink hair. "It's a long story."

The dinner wasn't as bad as they'd anticipated. Aelita and William hadn't really talked after the whole XANA thing, though she'd tried to get him to come to her with his problems as no one else in the group would even look in his direction.

 _It wasn't his fault,_ she thought, as Lise cleared the dishes.

"I'm sorry," she said, once the girl with the green hair had left.

He knew what she was referring to. "I know."

"Is there anything… Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He stalled a moment. "I'm seeing someone."

"Oh! Good."

"I think you'd get along well. We should have a double date sometime."

She knew it had been hard, for William to get over Yumi once she and Ulrich had become official.

"I'm glad," she said finally. "That you're doing well."

"Yeah. It's good to have the people you love around. Family."

She bit her lip.

"I didn't mean—"

"It's okay." She smiled as her girlfriend reappeared with dessert. "Lise is my family. And Odd."

"Yeah," Lise said, setting a plate of pastry on the table. "Odd seems like a cool dude."

"He's kind of a joke," William commented, biting into a cannoli. "But he's a good friend."

"Yeah." Aelita smiled. "He's family."


	9. Jeremie, Odd, the FBI

Odd hadn't been seeing anyone as of late.

Well, not _seriously_.

He'd gone out on a few dates, went to some bars and had a couple one-night stands.

But he'd also seen a new meme floating around, regarding an FBI agent spying on people through their webcams.

"Hey, Aelita, you heard about this?" he'd asked one day, peering at her from over his laptop.

"No, but Jeremie might know something." She paused. "Why?"

"Oh, yeah." He'd almost forgotten his friend worked for the FBI. "Well, I've been flirting with my FBI agent."

She straightened up. "What do you mean?"

"Just… flirting." He arched an eyebrow. "You know. Sweet-talking. Sometimes I take my shirt off."

She groaned. "I'll ask him when I get home."

* * *

"Aelita," Jeremie whined. "There's some weirdo at work." He paused. "You know how I have to spy on people?"

She looked up from the dinner she was preparing. "Yeah?"

"Well, there's this one person — I don't know if they're joking or what, but I think they're _flirting_ with me."

She practically dropped the knife she'd been using to cut their vegetables. "Oh, really?"

* * *

A few weeks had passed. Aelita had gone to visit Yumi at her and Ulrich's apartment one night.

"So, Odd's flirting with his FBI agent," Ulrich clarified slowly, bringing a glass of beer to his mouth, "and _Jeremie's the agent_?"

"Yes!" Aelita exclaimed. "I haven't told them; I just like watching how it unfolds."

"Aelita," Yumi started, "you and Jeremie are engaged."

"I know."

"And you're not… concerned?"

"It's _Jeremie_ ," Ulrich reminded them. "I bet you twenty euro that if Odd could actually make a move, he would."

* * *

"Aelita!" Odd exclaimed. "Can you help me impress my agent?"

The girl rolled her eyes, trying to remain straight-faced. "Sure."

"Yeah." He paused. "What does FBI stand for?"

"French Baguette of Investigation," she said casually.

"That doesn't sound right, but okay."

* * *

"Aelita!" Jeremie shouted.

She smirked. "Yeah?"

"This _bozo_ — they thought the FBI stood for the French Baguette of Investigation!"

She couldn't stop laughing.

"It's not funny!"

* * *

They all got together as a group, as was the routine every Friday night. They went to some restaurant and crowded into a booth, Odd all excited about this giant burger he was going to order.

"Tell them about your romantic interludes," Aelita prompted, sipping a margarita.

"Oh, well…" He blushed. "You're all going to think this is lame, but… I've been flirting with the FBI agent who spies on me through my webcam. I even wrote her a letter — because, she can see it — about how much I, too, would love to work for the French Baguette of Investigation, just to be close to her."

Jeremie practically choked on the beer he'd been drinking. "That's _you_?"

Odd stood. " _You're_ my FBI agent?!"

"This is better than I thought," Ulrich mused, leaning back.

The boys turned on him, shouting in unison. _"You knew?!"_

"Aelita told me!" he said defensively.

"Aelita!" they accused.

"What?" She looked to her fiancé and her best friend with innocence. "I was just having some fun!"


	10. Ulrich, Aelita, Family

Aelita didn't really have anyone to call "family."

Well, other than her friends, of course. As far as the school was concerned, she and Odd were cousins, and his parents had been generous enough to take her in for summer and holiday breaks. While she certainly enjoyed spending time with Jeremie and his parents, there was something about the Della Robbia clan that made her feel different. Special. This group of people liked her for who she _was_ , not just because they'd found her in a computer and had dedicated their lives to setting her free.

Then there was Ulrich. Many a vacation would he spend with Odd's family, tagging along as they had more than enough room to accommodate the both of them. His father was abusive and his mother was silent, taking the hits as they came, doing what she could to protect her son from her husband's wrath.

He hated going home. He had the scars and bruises to prove it.

"It's funny," Aelita said one night.

They were in the dorms, at school, and it was Friday. The curfew was extended and she'd sat on Odd's bed, petting Kiwi, the boy having gone out on a date with Heidi. Or was it Magali? No one could ever keep track.

"My parents are gone, but I feel more loved with you all and Odd and Jeremie's families than I did when I was younger."

Ulrich looked over from his chemistry homework. He'd been trying to play catch-up after the recent XANA attacks had caused his grades to slip dramatically.

"We all love you like a sister, Princess," he said, offering a smile. "Of course, with the exception of Jeremie."

She found herself laughing, before stifling a yawn.

"Tired?"

"A little." She leaned back, resting her head against Odd's pillow. Kiwi curled up at her feet. "It's been a long day, what with class, and Lyoko…"

She trailed off, and it wasn't long before Ulrich could hear the steady breathing that signified sleep.

Resigned, he turned back to his work. He didn't understand the first thing about chemical equations or hydrogen or polymers or whatever the hell it was the homework had been asking.

About an hour had passed and he still hadn't made much progress. His phone chimed with a text from Yumi, his girlfriend asking if he'd wanted to see a movie tomorrow night. Of course, he did. But in the midst of tapping out a reply, he was torn away when Aelita jolted from her sleep, screaming.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly, coming to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. "It was a nightmare. You'll be alright."

"Ulrich," she choked, leaning into him. "It was the Men in Black. The day my father and I had to run. They—"

She couldn't continue, her voice breaking again into a sob.

"I know," he whispered. He put his hands on her shoulders, holding her at arms' length. "Do you want me to get Jeremie?"

"No," she replied, starting to calm down. "No. He'll worry too much."

"Aelita—"

"Ulrich, I said no!"

"I just need you to know that we're all here! We'll figure this out, I promise!"

She took a deep breath, leaning back against the wall. "I know. And I appreciate it, really." She paused. "But sometimes, I really wish they were here, too."

He knew she was referring to her parents. It was always a sore subject, and they all knew never to bring it up. "I'm sure they're wishing the same thing."

"If they're still alive," she mumbled.

"Don't think like that."

She looked down at her hands. "I can't help it."

"Hey." He gave her a sad smile. "One of us still has to have hope for a normal upbringing, right?"

Her head snapped up as she made eye contact. "I can't imagine how that must feel. For your father to hurt you like that."

His shoulders slumped. "It's definitely not all it's cracked up to be. I'm a mess."

"Aren't we all?"

"At least we can protect each other."

A moment had passed, the duo sitting together in comfortable silence.

Aelita wiped the last of the tears away with the sleeve of her sweater. "Thanks, Ulrich."

"For what?"

"For being like the brother I never had."

This time, he really, truly smiled. "Of course, Princess. Anything for you."


	11. Odd, Sissi, Memories

Everything came rushing back to her so quickly, she could hardly manage.

It came in flashes. In her nightmares as she slept. When she was awake, daydreaming in class.

A giant teddy bear wreaked havoc on the school dance. She and Ulrich were trapped on a bus going a thousand kilometers a second, right toward a petrochemical plant. She was stuck in a closet in the dorms with Jim, as a deathly purple fog seeped in through the crack in the door.

She almost died on multiple occasions, all because she'd listened to a song she downloaded off the internet, or because the temperature was so cold it had practically been a second Ice Age.

Adults chased her and Odd to the rooftop of the school, where they almost plummeted to their deaths.

Her father had hurt her once, on that bridge over the Seine. He kept attacking Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi.

She was in a lab, sitting at a computer terminal. She sent Aelita somewhere once and watched her get attacked by a giant jellyfish.

An alien pursued her and tried to choke Ulrich and Yumi to death.

She couldn't breathe. Every time Sissi closed her eyes, she'd see these flashes playing again and again. She couldn't sleep, and the bottle of concealer for her undereye circles was getting low.

She found herself standing outside Odd and Ulrich's room one night. Not to talk to Ulrich, of course — no, he and Yumi had officially started a relationship at the end of the previous year. Their group suddenly seemed to have all this time on their hands. They weren't running off all the time for hours on end.

And, what's more, William's demeanor had completely changed. First, he'd been more or less normal, then last term he was a total dimwitted moron. But now, he was distant. He wasn't as cocky or sure of himself as he'd once been.

She noticed he'd been spending a lot of time with Aelita. She wondered how Jeremie felt about that.

She turned the doorknob to Odd and Ulrich's room, and immediately noticed Ulrich's bed was empty. Kiwi stirred ever so slightly, and Odd was sitting up on his own bed against the wall, playing a game on his phone.

It was one in the morning. Jim stopped patrolling about an hour ago.

"Hey," she said meekly.

Odd looked up from his game. "Oh." He checked the time. "What's up?"

"I—" She stopped herself. What was she going to say, that she'd been having all these weird dreams and feelings of déjà vu, and she felt like she couldn't talk to anyone but him about it? "I… I remember everything."

The boy dropped his phone, staring at her in shock. Kiwi lifted his head slightly but settled back down out of boredom.

Odd swallowed. "You… What?"

She sat down next to him. "The lab. Ulrich's kiss on the bridge. The giant teddy bear, the rats, the bees, the zombies. The cold. I was possessed by this… _thing_ … and it felt totally evil. But one time, it felt… afraid."

She must've been referring to the time when Franz Hopper had tried to contact them through her.

"And I keep thinking I'm crazy, but these feelings are _so real_ —"

He took her hand. She hadn't realized she'd been shaking.

"You're not crazy," he said simply. "Everything you mentioned… It all happened."

She wanted to respond, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. It felt _so good_ to finally get everything off her chest.

"It's okay, though," he continued. "We fought a war, and we won. Nothing can hurt us anymore."


	12. Jeremie, Aelita, Sleep

This drabble was a suggestion from user Raxius.

* * *

Sleep.

It was something she was supposed to do at night. After all, she was human. She had recovered her memories. She was no longer tied to a computer program.

But she couldn't sleep. Nightmares kept her awake. Past XANA attacks. Monsters shooting at her on Lyoko. Her father leaving her in that tower in the Forest Sector, only to never return.

She awoke one night drenched in sweat and crying. The alarm clock next to her bed said it was almost two in the morning. Aelita briefly pulled the blankets around herself, hugging Mister Puck to her chest, before abandoning any feeling of comfort and getting up, quietly slipping out of her room and into the brightly-lit hall of the dorm.

It was still. Quiet. She knew everyone would be sleeping, and she deftly avoided Jim's patrols. Slipping downstairs, she ended up at the door to Jeremie's room, noticing a faint light coming from the crack under his door.

She knocked twice. He was there in a flash.

"Aelita?" The boy rubbed his eyes under his glasses. He had changed into his pajamas hours ago. "It's late. You should be sleeping."

She walked past him and into the room, sitting down on the edge of his bed. His computer monitor was still on — he'd been working on a new program. "I can't."

"Hmm." He reclaimed his spot at the desk after shutting and locking the door. "Well, you managed to avoid Jim at least."

She stretched out on her back, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know what I'm gonna do, Jeremie."

He stopped typing, taking the time to turn around and really look at her.

It was true: She was definitely lacking sleep. She had dark circles under her eyes, and — did she always have that hollow look about her?

Saving his code progress, he removed his glasses and shut off the desk lamp. The light of the monitor would remain until it went to sleep in a half hour. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she mused. "But… Can I stay here?"

He blanched. "I— um. What I mean is… Sure. Yeah." Standing, he grabbed an extra pillow and blanket from the top shelf of his closet.

She watched him inquisitively. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep on the floor," he replied, as if it were obvious.

"No, I mean…" She turned away, facing the wall, burying herself in the blankets. They smelled just like him: Clean, like the forest and soap and sandalwood. "I thought, maybe…"

"O-oh." He clutched the blanket, still folded. He was glad she couldn't see him blush. "I, uh— with you?"

She remained silent, willing herself to move, to crawl as far under the covers as possible and never come out. She wanted to hide.

He took a step forward, still holding the damn blanket. "Aelita?"

She sat up, exhaling. "Yes, Jeremie. Just—" A lump formed in her throat. Why was this so difficult? "Let's go to sleep."

Abandoning his makeshift bed on the floor, he slowly crawled in beside her, settling down on his side, facing her. He felt her breath on his face, and could still smell faint traces of the lavender shower gel she'd used earlier.

Jeremie shifted to lay on his back. He draped an arm around her, pulling her closer. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"I can't sleep," she said quietly.

He frowned. "We only just got into bed."

"No—" She gingerly started tracing designs with her finger on his T-shirt. "The last few weeks… I've been thinking a lot about my past." She paused. "About Lyoko."

He rubbed her upper arm. "XANA's gone," he said gently. "William's back. We're free."

"I know, but…" She tried to stop herself from crying. "My parents, Jeremie — they're gone. My father's dead, he sacrificed himself, and my mother? I barely remember her. I don't even know if she's still alive. If she's even looking for me."

"I'm sure she is," he said. "I would be."

Aelita finally started to relax, her eyelids getting heavy. "I'm glad I have you in my life, Jeremie. All of you. I don't know…" She yawned.

He waited for her to finish her thought, but she'd fallen asleep. Kissing the top of her head, he felt himself starting to drift off. Before closing his eyes, he whispered, "I love you, Aelita."

What he didn't know, was that she'd just barely been awake. And she'd heard him. But she figured that was a discussion for another day.

Now, it was time to sleep.


	13. William, Coffee, Dating

"I hate this job," William muttered, making another venti, soy, no-foam something-or-other on autopilot. Leaving it on the handoff plane, he watched as the businessman picked up his drink and left with hardly a thank-you.

"Then why do you work here?" Angeline asked.

"I need the money," he replied simply. "My father cut me off because my grades have been slipping."

"Oh, poor rich kid," she drawled sarcastically.

Snapping to attention, she watched as a girl entered their Starbucks with what appeared to be a guide dog, weaving around the various tables and people standing around. She was talking on the phone the whole time in English.

"This one's for you," the blonde nudged. "I can't speak a word of English."

Rolling his eyes, William stood at the point-of-sale, ready to take the girl's order.

"Venti caramel macchiato, please," she said in French. Pausing, she spoke to the person on her phone in English: "Nico, what the hell do you want a flat white for?! … Fine." Barely looking at William, she continued, in French: "And a venti flat white. To go."

"Name?" he asked in French, playing along.

"Giana," she mumbled.

Shaking his head, he scanned the gold card she produced. "Here you go."

"Huh." Angeline stood back, watching as the boy made the coffees. "I had no idea she was bilingual. Her French accent is perfect." She stalled a moment, overhearing their customer argue with the person on her phone in rapid Italian. She'd looped the dog's leash around her arm and adjusted her crossbody bag. "Okay, trilingual." She looked to William. "You should ask her out."

"Hah!" he scoffed, holding up the drinks. "Get a tray so I can stick these in there and give them to her."

She shrugged. "What's wrong? Still distraught over that one girl from your boarding school?"

"I—" He blushed. "Shut up."

"Mhm." She smiled, passing Giana her drinks. "Here you go, Miss."

" _Merci_ ," she responded in a rush, grabbing the tray and exiting the coffeeshop.

"I wrote Gina on her cup," William said, a lazy smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, Captain Stupid," Angeline started, halfway through taking another order, "she's blind."

"Nah." He started making a cinnamon dolce latte. "She can definitely see a little bit. She was checking me out."

"She was on the phone the whole time!"

* * *

"Look, there she is."

Aelita cast a quick glance over her shoulder from the bar, watching Giana and her dog enter the café, the girl's brother right behind them. It was the third day in a row she'd come in, but the first time they'd seen the boy. "Cute. Maybe you can get her number or something."

"Yeah, okay, fine," he admitted. "She's cute. I guess." He left his friend to take the duo's order.

"There's no harm in trying!"

Ignoring her, William grabbed a marker and a hot cup. "Venti caramel macchiato?"

"Peppermint mocha," the brunette replied. " _S'il vous plaît_."

"Hot or cold?"

"Hot." She paused. "For here."

"And your friend?"

Nico smiled. "A hot, venti, blonde flat white, please. For here."

William nodded, exchanging the marker and hot cup for two mugs. "Coming right up."

Nico leaned in closer to his sister as she held her phone out for her card to be scanned. "Is that the guy who's been misspelling your name?" he asked in English.

She nodded.

They started walking to the end of the bar, taking seats close to Aelita. "Talk to him."

"You talk to him," she shot back. "He's a jerk."

"Look, I know you're still bitter about the whole thing with Xander, but—"

"That's not it."

"Then what, Gia?"

She exhaled. "I don't know."

"What are they saying?" Aelita whispered.

"Sounds like she's still hung up on an ex," William explained, putting the whipped cream on the girl's peppermint mocha.

"Oof." The girl looked down into the mug that once held a green tea latte. "Hey, when you get a chance…"

"Yeah, I'll refill it." He left to give the siblings their drinks, coming back and taking the mug from his friend to be washed before going in search of the matcha.

"He's… ruggedly handsome," Nico said, in French.

Giana almost spat out her drink. "If you think he's so nice, why don't _you_ ask him out?"

"He's not really my type."

She rolled her eyes.

"Come on, just one date? We're going back to Boston in two weeks anyway. You'll probably never see him again."

"That's what I'm afraid of." She felt a slip of paper under her mug. Picking it up and holding it close to her face, she smiled.

"What?"

"He got my name right."

* * *

It was late one night, around eight or nine. William was the only one working and the café was empty. He'd seen her every day for a week straight and was starting to give up hope that she'd come in.

Finally, the door opened, and in walked the girl with her dog.

"Hey," he said, in English. "How are you?"

She froze.

 _Shit._ He switched to French: "I mean, uh…"

"You…" She blinked. "You can speak English?"

He dropped the ruse. "Yeah."

She took a seat at the bar. "How come you never said anything before?"

He busied himself with making her caramel macchiato. "I wanted to see how long I could keep it up."

"Hm." She smiled. "Cute."

He almost dropped the bottle of caramel syrup. "Huh?"

"Nothing."

 _Sure_. Putting the finishing touches on her drink, he slid the mug over to her.

"I didn't order anything."

"It's your usual," he explained. "Decaf, because it's late." He paused. "If that's alright."

She started to open up the app on her phone to pay.

"Don't worry about it."

Taking a sip, she briefly cast her gaze across the counter at him. "Listen." She put her mug down. "I'm only here for another week before I head back to the States." Staring down into her drink, she said in a rush: "Do you… wanna go out sometime when you're not busy?"

"I'd love to."

Her expression softened. After a moment, she straightened. "You know my name, but what's yours?"

"Oh." He blushed. "William."

She extended her arm out to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you."


	14. Ulrich, Yumi, the Bridge

"Have you ever stopped to look at the water?"

Ulrich frowned. "No," he responded, knitting his brow. "Why? It's just the Seine."

"Hm." Yumi leaned against the side of the bridge, her back to him. He approached and stood beside her, mimicking her stance. The duo stared across the dark, glassy abyss; the bright moon reflected off its surface.

"It's nice," he admitted.

"I never stop to take it in," Yumi continued. "We're always running back and forth, either to get to Lyoko or back to school. There's never any time to think."

He found himself shifting his gaze from the water, to the girl. Her silhouette stood out against their dimly-lit background, her hair blowing ever so slightly in the light breeze.

But they were just friends, that's all. He had to remind himself constantly, so as not to overstep. Even though he had fallen so deeply in love with her, he respected Yumi enough to not bring up their past. She had enough to worry about, what with trying to wrangle William's clone during their classes, and keeping Lyoko a secret from her family.

He quickly darted focus back to the water before she could catch him.

"Hopefully we'll have some breathing room before the next attack," he said lightly.

She nodded. "Or before Jeremie finds another Replika."

He actually really enjoyed the Replika missions. Being in the real world in his Lyoko form made Ulrich feel practically invincible, that is until they came into contact with one of XANA's monsters or creations. Then it was a battle for their lives, just as it always was.

"It's getting late," she said softly, checking the time on her mobile. "We should head back to school."

They turned away from the side of the bridge, the Seine on their right as they headed back underground. Slowly, they rode their skateboard in silence back to the entrance in the park.

Ulrich got out first, extending his hand to help her. Not that she needed it. But Yumi always accepted the gesture out of politeness, and because… well, she wouldn't admit it, but there was something electric about holding his hand, even if it were only for the briefest moment.

Once they reached the courtyard, they finally parted ways.

He smiled. "Good night, Yumi. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Ulrich." She started to turn toward the gate. "Sleep well!"

He watched her retreating form exit the school's grounds and start to head toward her family's house. It was almost midnight, but he knew she wouldn't get into too much trouble. She was older, and her curfew had recently been extended.

He relished in the quiet of the courtyard for a moment, before shaking his head slowly and heading into the dorm building. Jim was probably still doing rounds, but he didn't care if he got caught — it was worth it to stand on that bridge with the girl he loved.


End file.
